US Route 1

Does anyone have a map driving US 1 from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine? I have been on both ends but want to drive the whole way. Also, any suggestions for which end to start on. My husband and I are retired so time isn't an issue. We won't do the trip until next year.

I'm uncertain what you mean by "does anyone have a map." Any good map of the east coast will have US-1 on it. Really the challenge of following this route is that a large portion of the route is on city streets within major urban areas.

As far as which way to go, I think it would depend in large part on what months you'll be traveling and roughly how long you plan to be on the road. I could say driving South to North would keep you on the ocean side of the road, but US-1 doesn't really hug the coast in many areas in the same way the Pacific Coast Highway does.

There Will Be Surprises

As Michael has pointed out, the one sure downside to following US-1 all the way from Key West to Fort Kent is that, because it has been around seemingly forever, and certainly pre-dates the Interstates, it goes directly though the heart of many of the large east coast cities rather than around them. So it will be slow going, particularly in those urban areas. On the other hand, it's long history means that it will take you by some surprising attractions. In much of the northeast US-1 follows alignments first laid out as the King's Highway (started in 1650) and Boston Post Road. There's a lot of history on (or very near to) it, particularly some lesser known Colonial and Revolutionary War sites.

I've lived not far from US-1 in the mid-Atlantic region, and literally just off it in Maine. I also understand the desire to follow a single highway for its entire length and just discover it as it unfolds before your eyes. To be fair even where it winds its way through major cities such as Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston it does so through historic areas. So I guess what I'm saying is that if you have the time and don't mind driving in inner cities (Do NOT do so at rush hour, no matter what!) this could be a very enjoyable journey.

Two more things. Yes, there will be stretches of Route 1 through metropolitan areas that can be described as 'sketchy', but these will be obvious and you don't have to stop there or drive through at night. Remember that mostly in such cases US-1 will be a major commuter route with lots of traffic and lots of cops and other observers. Use your own internal 'radar', developed over the years, to tell you when to just move on. And as for maps, there probably is 'a map' of US-1 but it would almost certainly be a touristy thing put out by businesses along the road, and not much real use in navigating or planning. You'd be far better off to plan using a good comprehensive US atlas. You can also search for individual state highway and/or tourist departments to see if any have free state maps available by mail - many do.

Oh! and one more thing. I would probably do this trip south to north following the weather as it warms up, and/or try to time my arrival in Maine for mid-October and their brilliant fall foliage.

Thanks for all the responses. As to the map, I was just hoping something was out there to make it easy. We found a RT66 map when we ran it and a Mississippi River Road when we ran it.
I will get the state maps from AAA and mark them with the route. I get the AAA tour books before we make a trip and read all the ones for the states we will be traveling through and mark interesting things. I also found a website ROADSIDEAMERICA.COM that has interesting and weird things in each town.

Well, We're Kind of Proud of Our Own

While we love giving personal, timely service, as in these forums, we also have a number of outstanding 'permanent' resources here that you can check out as well. For example, take a look HERE for a couple of dozen attractions or events in each state, and while THESE LISTS were developed for Interstate Highways, the parks and other sites listed for I-95 will be similarly accessible to US-1.

More than the Forum

Don't forget, there is much more to RoadTrip America than just the Forum.

There's dozens of RoadTrip Route suggestions through the US, including many that would include or be close to US 1. There is also RTA's Map Center which will show you hundreds of stopping point suggestions right near your route.

One key difference between RTA and many of the other RoadTirp planning sites out there every suggestion you'll find at RTA comes personally visited and recommended by one of RTA's contributors - it's not just a collection of places you could find in an internet search.